The work: Rob Barrington, Kererū @ Tawharanui, 2021. Digitally manipulated pen and ink limited edition Giclee print, 122 x 85cm. NZ $1,400.Courtesy: the artist
A sense of place and time is vitally important to Rob Barrington’s artistic practice, with each work reflecting a specific moment, offering an experiential immersion of the sights and sounds of a particular memory. His work Kererū @ Tawharanui reflects on a small but meaningful diversion that the artist wished to replicate for both himself and his viewers, investing more than 100 hours into its execution. “They are such a large, clumsy but beautiful bird that make an impression when you see them up close,” says the artist of the Kererū that alighted above him, landing on a Pohutakawa tree “almost to have a conversation”. The artist took great care to convey this in Kererū @ Tawharanui, the bird’s head turned toward the waves, as if sharing in the artist’s passion for riding the swell. The work is executed in short, thin strokes, acting as a visual expression of a sea breeze which animates the scene. Though not realist, the artist strives to convey the memory as he recollects it, looking to the essence of what made the scene memorable: the feel of the air, the smell of salt, and the sound of birdsong. “It is hard to paint subjects that are already beautiful,” says Barrington, instead looking to the particular elements that made it special.